Former Ipswich Town skipper Matt Holland turns 50 today. Ross Halls looks back at his time at Portman Road.
He joined the Blues from AFC Bournemouth for a fee of £800,000 in the summer of 1997 and went on to win the player of the year award during his first season at Portman Road.
Holland started every league and cup game as Town finished fifth in the second tier, but they suffered defeat in the play-off semi-finals against Charlton Athletic.
He was appointed club captain by then manager George Burley at the start of the 1998/99 season where he once again featured in every game as the Blues finished third in the league.
It was another play-off semi-final defeat as they were beaten by Bolton Wanderers over two legs, with Holland scoring a brace in the second leg in a 4–3 victory, but Town losing out on away goals.
Holland kept up his impressive record of playing every game in the 1999/00 season, with the Blues finishing third once again, and narrowly missing out on automatic promotion.
But of course Town went on to win their play-off semi-final legs against Bolton, before the midfielder captained the side in the play-off final at Wembley were the Blues beat Barnsley 4-2 to clinch promotion to the Premier League.
The following season, Holland would be a mainstay in the side again and score three goals in the top flight as Town finished fifth to qualify for the UEFA Cup, in a season to remember.
However, the following campaign Town suffered relegation from the Premier League after finishing 18th.
Holland remained at the club despite interest from elsewhere and went on to win the Player of the Year award for the second time. But the Blues were unable to win promotion back to the top flight after finishing seventh in the table.
At the end of that season, Holland's spell at Portman Road came to a end when he signed for Charlton Athletic for a fee of £750,000 in June 2003.
Holland spent six seasons at the Valley, making over 200 appearances for the Addicks before he retired from football in 2009.
He also won 45 caps for Republic of Ireland, scoring five goals - including a goal against Cameroon in the 2002 World Cup.
Holland is now a respected pundit and broadcaster and is regularly back at Portman Road appearing on Town TV and serving as a Trustee for the club's foundation.
Holland made a total of 314 appearances and scored 45 goals for the Blues in a spell well-remembered for the consistency and leadership he showed on and off the pitch.
Captain fantastic was inducted into the Blues' Hall of Fame in 2014 and is one of Town's greatest-ever skippers.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here